Editorial: It's time for Detroiters to choose -and choose wisely

May 15, 2013

Brenda Jones / Detroit Free Press

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| Detroit Free Press Editorial Board

Saunteel Jenkins

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Who would want to be mayor in a city with an emergency manager? Turns out, a lot of people.

Nineteen Detroiters have filed nominating petitions for a slot on the fall mayoral ballot. Some of them won’t make it onto the August primary ballot — the list distributed by the Detroit Department of Elections after Tuesday’s filing deadline includes all would-be candidates who have filed nominating petitions. The Detroit City Clerk’s Office has 10 days to check petition signatures for validity, and candidates have three days to withdraw their names from consideration.

It’s an impressive showing. In 2009, just nine candidates filed.

There are few surprises: Mike Duggan, a former Wayne County prosecutor and ex-chief of the Detroit Medical Center, filed, as did Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, a former Detroit police chief.

Both announced their candidacies months ago, as had state Rep. Fred Durhal Jr., former state Rep. Lisa Howze and former Detroit city attorney Krystal Crittendon. They’re joined by a complement of less high-profile candidates, including perennial also-rans D’Artagnan Collier and Tom Barrow.

Not among them? Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, who announced Tuesday that he would not seek re-election, but would consider running for Wayne County executive next year instead.

The appointment of an emergency manager seems to have had a chilling effect on prospective Detroit City Council candidates. Just 56 council hopefuls filed petitions by Tuesday’s deadline, compared to more than 200 in 2009.

The organizers of the successful 2009 Detroiters for Council by Districts campaign hoped that switching to a ward system would bring a diverse range of candidates into the fold — and that folks who couldn’t raise the kinds of cash necessary to mount a citywide campaign, or who felt that incumbents with name recognition were unshakeable, would have a shot at winning a seat. Political insiders had predicted that this year’s roster of candidates could exceed the 2009 slate.

But a smaller field of candidates isn’t a bad thing. In the 2009 council election, sorting through a field of 200 candidates was an overwhelming task for any voter. The city’s seven districts have between five and 11 candidates each, a much more manageable number.

Nine candidates filed for the city’s two at-large seats, among them, incumbents Detroit City Council members Saunteel Jenkins and Brenda Jones. Other incumbents who filed are James Tate for the District 1 seat, and Andre Spivey for District 4.

Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh, Council President Pro Tem Gary Brown and City Council members Ken Cockrel Jr. and Kwame Kenyatta had previously said they weren’t running. Councilwoman JoAnn Watson did not file to run, either.

The question of what power elected officials will wield under emergency manager Kevyn Orr has been the subject of much debate. For his part, Orr has taken a light hand thus far, telling Detroit’s mayor and City Council to conduct business as usual. But as emergency manager, Orr is the ultimate authority in Detroit. But in less than 18 months, he’ll be gone. And some of the folks who filed petitions Tuesday will be in charge.